Our lovely wedding took place on July 29th, 2018 at Silver Oaks Chateau in our hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri. It was a beautiful reception that began early on a Sunday, full of all of our closest family and friends. It took months putting together all the smallest details with my inlaws, parents and siblings, ranging from the handmade signs to the donut wall, to the flower arrangements! We loved putting a sentimental touch into everything we displayed that night, since both of our families love to be handy and creative. It truly takes a village to pull off a wedding, and I was happily able to delegate tasks throughout to all of my family members to make it happen.
The event began with a reception, followed by Hamza & I’s entrance into the ballroom with a traditional Syrian zaffeh, or parade group. From there, we all enjoyed the ceremony with dancing, and arabic dabke (folklore dancing). After the dancing, we sat down for a small speech by one of our community members about marriage, followed by the dinner buffet.
The dinner buffet was catered by Ces & Judy’s in Saint Louis. The venue suggested their catering, which made it an easy choice for us— not to mention how delicious the food was! We went with a Mediteranean inspired menu— not Arabic, and not American. From eggplant rollatini, to stuffed cheese peppers, to steak pieces with taziki sauce, they were able to cater to our wishes and do something unique for us! I can truly say that my mind was at ease throughout the wedding, knowing they were handling the service. The dessert layout was spectacular, and the fruit details in the drink area was just as cute as I envisioned. I would highly recommend catering with Ces & Judy’s for your next big event in Saint Louis.
After dinner, we split the men and women by sending the men to the outside porch of the venue to continue their party! We covered the windows of the venue with the blinds, and had an all-women party with our cake cutting, first dance and ring exchange (with Hamza at first for a little while, and my close relatives I don’t wear a scarf from). It was so great to be able to have both aspects incorporated to my wedding, and I highly recommend finding a venue that can accommodate such a party if it’s something you want!
As you may. know, my gown was designed by Saiid Kobeisy, an outstanding Lebanese designer. I discussed all the details of choosing and modifying the gown in Beirut in a previous post! I’m absolutely honored to have worn this gown for the most memorable day of my life. As I covered on IG, the biggest concern I had in wearing a hijab with my wedding gown was that it would flow. I can truly say my vision came true in his designs of the scarf, following the beading and pearled embellishments of the gown. The gown was chic enough, while also having a simple, elegant aura to it.
My makeup was done by my friend @prettybylizzie on IG— checkout our tuturoail video here for the simple glam look! My biggest want was a clean, natural skin tone, and long, alluring lashes. I loved the look, and felt completely like my natural self!
My biggest advice for your wedding day is to not change who you are as a person for this one night, and to have everything revolve around your character as a person and family. We appreciated the most out of our wedding our loved ones around us, all the hard work our families put into DIY-ing the little details, and being our true selves. I can always look back at my wedding day and remember the nights I spent with my dad building the donut wall, or putting the floral arrangements with my mom and mother in law, or designing the gown details with my sister. Perhaps I’ll share another post going into details of how to DIY a wedding! I also think its important to stay true to your natural looks, whether it be in your makeup choice, dress choice, or hijab style. I did receive a few comments on my IG about how my hijab style was nothing “special”, but thats exactly how I wanted to look— like myself! :)
Thank you for being a part of my family, and watching me grow from the moment I began my blog, to now being a wife! I hope that this will only inspire us to grow together and inspire each other in new ways. Love you all!
All of the wedding photos were taken by BLK Photography!
